The Greatest Adventure
by nerd101927452
Summary: Q really does enjoy throwing in a curve ball or two.
1. Coffee flavored ice cream

Finding the time to actually sit down and enjoy her morning cup of coffee was becoming an exercise of will. Kathryn Janeway was always up for a challenge, but this particular week had been hell. The warp core decided now that it would need unroutine, routine, work done. Luckily Neelix had been able to locate a nearby extinct star that served as a trading post. It was there they had been able to find a decent amount of deuterium to keep the ship functioning while B'elanna could work out the warp core's fit.

Of course that meant Lieutenant Paris and Officer Kim had to take a "look around" while on the star. It just so happened Tom found out pretty quickly the merchant persons inhabiting the dead star were very forthcoming with the death penalty.

The whole event had been a nightmare and Kathryn took to just skipping her morning coffee all together. why bother trying to wake herself up when she hadn't even slept to begin with? But now, for the first time that week she was actually able to end her shift on time.

it was late and she knew it would probably keep her up much later tonight, but she'd be hard pressed to say no to some coffee ice cream right about now. After all, she should celebrate the little triumphs where she could. They had enough deuterium to keep the ship running and Tom hadn't ended up losing his hand or his life after accidentally flirting with a married woman.

She was so content in her cold luxury she almost hadn't noticed him in her room. but for some odd reason her mind had become almost attuned to him. It was almost a sixth sense, like walking into a cold room and knowing there was a ghost, and he certainly was her phantom menace.

"Q" she growled out

"Oh, Kathy, I thought you'd never come up. You Know you really do work so hard!"

The infamous omnipotent being had thrown himself onto her bed. He lay there on his stomach, his face resting in his palms, as his feet kicked cheerfully. Kathryn looked from him to the bowl of frozen dessert and back again. It really had been a long week.

"Q, I'm tired, irritated even, and i will not banter with you while my ice cream melts. i had to forgo dinner to use my replicator rations on this."

Q feigned shock

"Oh, by all means, enjoy your coffee, i just came to check in. reminisce, no banter here my lovely Captain"

He rolled over to one side of her bed and patted the empty space next to him. She had to fight to not roll her eyes.

Kathryn walked to her table and pulled herself out a chair. she sat in front of him and ate her ice cream trying to decide what on earth she could do to make him leave before her caffeine crash.

He vanished from off the bed and in a light, appeared in the chair next to her.

"Ah ah ah, Kathy"

he tsked in his sing song voice.

"If you keep thinking so hard you'll make me think you don't actually want me here!"

She put a spoonful in her mouth and mumbled out, "I don't believe that's ever stopped you from visiting before Q"

He put a hand to his chest and gasped before smiling and saying, "True. true. But don't pretend like i don't always leave you smiling after my visits!"

she swallowed her ice cream as well as her internal comment of wanting to say of course she smiled when he left, who wouldn't? It was a smile of relief and hope that he wouldn't be back for a long time.

"What are you doing here, Q?"

"Actually, this time I only came because I wanted to check up on you."

That caught her interest.

"Oh?"

"Of course! Junior has been begging to come and see you but I've told him how busy you are."

"Oh."

She couldn't help her disappointment. Junior had wanted to see her? He could've just come himself. She missed him, too. Her sweet godson who had only just begun to grow and flourish when he'd been forced to go back home to the continuum.

"How is he?"

Q pulled his seat a little closer and grabbed one of her hands. He began to rub his thumb into the back of her thumb when he answered, "He's fine. More than fine, actually. He's become an amazing asset to the continuum since his time here with you. They even gave him a job"

She should probably take her hand away but Goodness did it feel good. He knew what he was doing too, finding all the right pressure points to relieve her stress. Curse him.

"A job? He's so young though. What kind of a job would they give to him?"

Q smiled fondly, "He's a teacher. He studies literature from Earth and uses you and Jean Luc as his examples. He's teaching the Q the benefits of Human existence" Kathryn was shocked. The Q hated to take the advice from species they deemed, "lower".. So, all of them. But to think Junior, a horrible little Q brat himself, had changed from his time aboard Voyager. Changed so much that the Q noticed and wanted to know how. Kathryn took her hand back but only to take a bite of her ice cream and then to switch hands. Q continued his massage.

"I've been to most of his lessons. You should hear the passion in his voice. When he speaks of the need for, well, emotions. It's very powerful, you taught him well Kathy."

"No." Kathryn couldn't take any of this credit.

"He was the one who changed, then he himself opened his eyes to the lessons all around him."

"Perhaps." Q conceded, "But that certainly doesn't stop his infatuation for you."

This time Kathryn didn't hide nor stop her eye roll.

"I'm serious, Kathy, that boy of mine adores you. But, then again, like father like son." Q waggled his eyebrows and Kathryn couldn't help her quite smile.

"And how is your Lady Q?"

She finally took her hand back, setting the foundation of her statement. Q shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Ah-" He started, trying to figure out how to explain.

"Ah." Kathryn agreed. He was a married man as far as she was concerned and she would not indulge him in his games. Q chuckled lightly and said, "She's gone, funny enough."

"What?"

"She said my obsession with the minor bipedal species of earth have driven her mad for the last time. And then she left."

Kathryn wasn't sure what to say.

"She just left? Well, where did she go?"

Q shrugged, "I don't know and, to be honest Kathy, I don't really care. She only ever stayed for Junior anyways, and He can practically take care of himself now."

She finished a bite of her ice cream and patted his hand. She felt bad for implying his deviousness, even though he didn't exactly have a clean record. She didn't stop him when he took hold of the hand she had offered as a comfort. He began rubbing it again and she took another bite of ice cream. She felt uncomfortable now, what could she say after this? She'd put quite the foot in her mouth.

"Q?" she wanted to at least apologize.

"You know, Kathy, you have quite a headache right now."

"What?"

He turned her hand upwards, palm facing both of them. He used his thumb to push into the heel of her palm and immediately her brain exploded in relief. She sighed and bent her head down to not let him see how amazing that felt. He did though, of course. He used his other hand to gently lift her face up. She met his eyes and blurted out, "How did you do that?" her headaches were becoming unbearable as of late, she had been contemplating visiting the Doctor just to try and find since kind of medicine that would let her keep working. Q smiled kindly at her, why did he seem so human today?

He motioned to her palm and she followed his eyes. His thumb was still messaging into her heel. "I learned this from your earth culture. If you press into the heel of the palm and rub the underside of the thumb at the same time, it relieves a great deal of stress."

She laughed and said, "Well whatever you're doing, don't stop."

Q smiled softly and mumbled out, "Whatever you ask m'lady."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Kathryn was focusing on how he was doing it so she could replicate it once he vanished. When she finally looked up to him she was surprised to see Q was completely lost in his own mind. His eyes were blank and unstaring, only focusing on her hand. He was never this quite and always prided himself on never being lost. "Q?" she whispered.

He blinked once then twice before his eyes finally focused. He looked up to her and couldn't stop his surprise from showing. He laughed slightly and said, "It seems that, perhaps I should be the one with the coffee." She chuckled as well and then spooned up a ball of the coffee ice cream, she pointed the spoon at his mouth and waited. He wrinkled his nose and asked, "is it actually good?" Kathryn nodded enthusiastically, "The best."

He sighed and then took the bite. He held it in his mouth a moment or two, testing the waters before finally swallowing. He nodded slightly and the said, "I don't think I like the taste of Coffee very much." She laughed openly now, "It may take a few more trys, but I'm sure you'll come to rely on it as heavily as most do. Or perhaps not, the Q probably don't need caffeine fixes." Q shook his head slowly but then stopped and began nodding, "We may not need caffeine or have the same reaction to it as humans do, but the Q certainly have our own addictions" That surprised her. "And what, exactly, could a Q be addicted to?" Q kept silent for a moment and then lifted their intertwined hands, "Humans."

She laughed, "I'm sure you're the only Q who has that particular addiction"

"Perhaps" he lamented. They rested there for a few more moments, talking and sharing what was left of the ice cream. Once it was gone Q let go of her hand and bid her goodnight

"I'm sure I've over stayed my welcome. And you probably have some new pathetic life form to save tomorrow morning."

Kathryn nodded in agreement, standing up to see him out. He took her hand in a sweeping motion, kissing the top and with a, "Goodnight my sweet Kathy. he was gone in a flash.

She lowered herself into her bed and as she drifted off she whispered, "Goodnight, Q."


	2. Home sweet continuum

The continuum was looking rather dull this evening. Of course, it was dull every evening, but today was just atrocious.

Junior had decided to pay a visit to the humans he loved so much. Q had been so excited, a visit to Voyager always lifted his spirits, but Junior had put his foot down.

Something about wanting to have time with his human family alone -bah.

Family? Perhaps this was his comeuppance for always bothering the earthlings, his own child no longer wanted him around and preferred the company of fools to his own father.

He opened the door to his home and sat on the luxurious leather recliner. With his back laying down and his face towards the ceiling he was able to enjoy his own handy work.

The walls were a soft blue, the ceilings an eggshell white. The stairs and flooring were all dark, rich mahogany. The tv was almost the size of the wall, he had been proud of that but Junior had made some side comment about size not mattering. Pah, his own boy, not knowing how important it was to be the biggest in any given room.

This whole house was a monument to his observations of the human culture, the luxury they all pursued in their fleeting, pointless little lives…

He closed his eyes to listen to the heart beat of the house, everything in the continuum was alive and his own finger snap creations weren't an exception.

"This is quite the place you've set up"

He nearly fell back behind the recliner.

He jumped out of the chair and stood face to face with the most dangerous, most beautiful, most intoxicating woman in all of existence. His ex wife.

She waited for his barrage of questions but much to her irritation he didn't seem to have any. She tapped her heeled toe against the ugly wood and felt a piece of her mind snap.

She was in his domain, here she was forced to look like she belonged. No matter what outfit she'd been in before entering this forsaken human home, she was now dressed in a white dress and black high heels. The dress curved nicely around her frame and the heels worked wonders on her calves. But this was not her. And like it or not, this was not Q either.

"Where is our son?" She folded her arms and leaned against the still opened doorframe. She need only look outside to find solace that this nightmare was her ex husband's delusions and not her reality. The white, blank slate of the continuum greeted her eyes and calmed her racing heart.

This must be what claustrophobia felt like.

Q stood a little straighter and brushed his hand through those annoying black human curls he loved so much. Any body in the world he could create and he chose a middle-aged man with black, frizzy ringlets. Something was wrong with this Q.

"Hello, Q, Junior isn't home at the moment. He's visiting his friends"

She could break his neck right now, but it still wouldn't matter. He'd just reconstruct the bones and the nerves.

"What friends?"

Her tapping toes finally stilled and she awaited the inevitable. Junior didn't have any real, healthy relationships here in the continuum. Since becoming a teacher he'd given up the chance to be a normal Q. Her son was now seen as either a pariah or a gift.

"he's with Icheb."

"He's not only on Voyager, but you allow him to be with a borg? How unfortunate of a father you are."

Q took a step forward, and pointed a finger at his ex's chest

"I may be a pathetic father, but I never abandoned my child" He watched her cool features sharpen and when she opened her mouth to speak her glaring white teeth were clenched.

"You are correct, Q, my mistake was leaving my child alone with you. A mistake I am trying to rectify."

Rectify? What was she trying to play at? The council wouldn't try to play custody battles with Junior. He was an adult here in the continuum, if she liked it or not their boy was free to choose where he called home.

She turned away from Q and continued out to the fresh, clean air. She threw her hand out behind her and called, "Tell my son that I am looking for him whenever he is done at the voyager zoo with those useless animals."

The door had slammed after her before he had even realized he'd snapped himself towards the frame. His entire being was shaking, he clenched his fists and watched as his human nails dug into their human palms and very human red blood began to leak from the self inflicted angry wounds.

It all looked so real, if he closed his eyes he could picture the pain, but when he opened them again the red was gone and he was left with the illusion that was his life.

He let a pitiful chuckle leave his lips and let himself sink into the anger and hate he felt for his ex wife. She wanted to harm the humans so much but could not understand how damning that would be for their son. She would ruin his psyche before she left him alone to his happiness.

What a horrible entity she was.

He let himself drop to his knees and wished he could be in a real home on the actual planet earth. He wished Junior had been raised there without any knowledge of the continuum. He would've been so much happier there. They both could have been happier there.

But he wasn't a human, neither was Junior. And earthlings, no matter how good their intentions, had a terrible habit of finding out lies in plain sight. They would stick out like a mountain in the middle of an ocean.

Q snapped his fingers and the TV turned on, he filled past a few of his most favorite viewings, Jean Luc on the Enterprise, Sisko walking deep space nine, until he found his goal. Voyager.

Icheb and Junior were playing some game inside the holodeck and both were completely safe and at ease. The way his son smiled and laughed with the restored borg child, the way his eyes shone when Seven of Nine appeared to take them to lunch.

It made his own Q heart thud in contentment, lady Q hadn't tried to destroy the star ship Voyager while Junior was aboard.

He got off the floor and returned to his recliner, rocking himself slightly as he watched his boy's day progress. In the dining hall Neelix was serving some kind of plant based nutrition to feed the crew of Voyager. One bite and he could see both boys go rigid, he barked out a laugh alone in his home.

Junior promptly snapped his fingers in a quiet manner so as not to draw attention and threw his elbow into his friend's side. He nodded towards the food once more and Icheb took one more hesitant bite. Q couldn't tell what he'd done to the food but it now apparently tasted like Manna with the gusto the boys were eating.

The doors slid open behind the pair and Q tried to ignore his heart race at the sight of Kathryn. Captain Janeway paused only a moment to locate his child before she beelined for the giggling boys. She put one of each hand onto the boy's shoulders and they both jumped at seeing her. She beamed at his son and his boy was positively radiating in her presence.

She leaned down and kissed his head before she took a seat in front of them, joining the two for lunch as Neelix brought her a plate. He hoped his boy had enough sense to enhance the flavor of her plate as well. The way she ate and chatted with the children he knew Junior had done just that, Kathy hadn't even hesitated at her first bite.

He watched the ease with which they ate together and talked of life. How Icheb was helping Seven of Nine create a navigational system to help Voyager get home quicker. They talked of Junior's classes and how the continuum were receiving his words. Q tried not to sit forward when Kathy discussed her work and how crazy her adventures tended to be.

He could tell she was sleeping better. Her eyes weren't nearly as dark as they had been the last they'd talked. Her soft brown hair was not long enough to put back into a band at the nape of her neck anymore, yet still, even at this short cut she was able to keep each strand in immaculate order. She took his breath away if he stared too long.

For a moment he let his mind wander and imagined what it could be like if he were there. He could have lunch with Kathryn and Junior, two of the three technically didn't need to eat, but he would give anything to change places with Icheb at this moment.

To be a part of this family his son had created, it would be a dream. It was a dream and it could never be anything more. If he wasn't watching Enterprise, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, even Earth itself at times, they all would've died long ago.

His place was here, in this house, watching as a makeshift guardian over the ones he cared for the most. If he felt lonely at times it wouldn't matter. He could be content with his silent moments, he had to be. So he let himself shamelessly stare at Kathy and wander how soft her lips could be.


	3. Godmother knows best

"Junior, is everything alright?" Kathryn laid her hand on the teenaged boy tentatively.

Everything had been fine this entire week he'd been to visit, today was no exception. Junior had seemed as impish and cunning as always. Icheb and the son of Q had caused all sorts of problems in engineering when they decided to 'make the warp core go faster'

B'Elanna had nearly skinned the pair alive, had it not been for Chakotay passing by to hear her screaming for their deaths.

But that had been hours ago, both boys were reprimanded by having to clean the kitchens after dinner and were to each write a personal apology to B'Elanna.

Icheb had retired with his own makeshift mother and siblings, and she had accompanied Junior to his own room adjacent to hers. Partly to make sure he understood why he had been reprimanded today, but mostly so she could find out how the two boys had actually made the core go faster.

Junior had been animatedly talking about anything and everything moments before but now he was silent. He shook his head pathetically at her enquiry and she saw through the lie

"Would you like to talk in my quarters before going to bed?"

He gave a moments pause followed by a single quick nod. She smiled and held out her arm for him to lead the way. He walked into the room and sat himself in one of her armchairs with a huff.

She turned to the replicator and contemplated some coffee right about now. She wasn't tired but this boy seemed to have a lot to say.

With her back turned Junior built up his courage and practically shouted, "Am I a burden to you, Aunt Kathy?"

Her step was redirected immediately and she placed herself opposite her godson on the couch, coffee forgotten.

"Of course not, Junior, why would you think that?"

The relief that filled his young eyes put her on edge. Who had told him such a lie? What purpose was there to hurt a child, no matter what species he was.

Junior looked towards his hands and tried to think up an excuse, he couldn't tell her the truth now. His godmother was practically fuming.

"Was it B'Elanna? I know she can have a temper at times but that doesn't mean she can say hurtful things like th-"

Junior grabbed Kathryn's hand and she halted her rant

"No, Aunt Kathy, it wasn't Lieutenant Torres." After beginning his apology note already in his mind, it seemed wrong to try to shift the blame onto the half Klingon. Perhaps it's best to cut the drama and just tell his godmother what he was feeling. His father would be ashamed, his own son cutting the drama.

"I just, sometimes feel like, like I'm causing more problems than I'm worth." He rushed the last bit out and stood before she could soothe his hurt. He needed to say it all, get it all out, and it was now or never.

"In the continuum I feel needed, they all want to know what Humans are capable of but sometimes it's only because they fear the day humans will become more."

This surprised Kathryn, she'd heard tell of Captain Jean-Luc's dealings with the Q but never had she been told the Q were afraid of mankind.

"And here, here I try to help because I am more powerful than you, but it just makes a big mess in the end. Even if the results are good, the process causes so much disaster."

His words were becoming quicker now, Kathryn could hear an edge of panic. She stood and lifted a hand to try and help him but he was pacing in and out of her reach.

"And then there's my dad. How can I ever live up to him? He's made all the same mistakes I'm making now but in my head I feel like I can do better and that I can rectify the damages he's done. Repair the bridges he's burnt with star fleet. But then I come here again and cause you all pain."

His face was turning red; she walked forward and grabbed his face, holding him until he was forced to meet her eyes.

"I want you to breathe with me. That's an order "

Junior nodded and she dropped his face. She kept one of his hands in her own and together they made 10 exaggerated breaths.

Q may not necessarily need to breathe, but he certainly felt a lot less like crying.

"You, Junior, are not your father. You are not the continuum, and you are not the Q."

Her words made no sense, how could he not be? They all had such giant ideals and he was born to fulfill them all

"You are you, and whoever you may become, is up to you."

"I was born to be the savior of the Q."

She looked at his face, he was a worried wreck. His hair was fluffed up as he'd ran his hands through it while pacing. He wasn't crying but his nose was running. His face had been red as a tomato now only his cheeks were rosy.

He'd made progress in calming down, but it was clear to her that these thoughts had been causing him a great deal of stress for a long time now.

"You're a young man." The words may be wrong, he'd been born all of 5 years ago, but his body was no more than 15 years old. Q held power over time and space. For all she knew Junior's conscious could be eons old by now.

"You have the right to grow and become whoever you choose. You may have been born for a reason, but you do not owe anything to anyone."

He visibly stilled at her words and she thought he'd changed himself into stone.

"Do you really mean it? Could I really have a say?"

She felt angry now, she had hoped becoming a teacher would have spared him the ridiculous destiny the Q wanted of him. Besides, if she remembered correctly, and every bath she ever took still reminded her, the Q wanted a half human-half Q savior.

She pulled her godson into her arms and held him. He jumped at her touch but soon responded in kind. He returned the hug tightly and burrowed his head into her shoulder. She could hear the soft sniffles and feel his shoulders trembling.

"As long as you're my godson, I'll make sure you always have a say."

She knew he was there. She wondered if his son could feel him as well. She looked through her peripheral vision and saw him. He was hesitating with his arms slightly outstretched and she knew he wanted to help Junior.

She turned her head so as to make Junior believe she was only resting her head against his. She made direct eye contact with Q and waited, it was his turn to make a move.

He stared at them for a long moment before his voice suddenly came to her mind.

"Is he alright?" She patted Junior's back and lifted an eyebrow

"What do you think?"

Q's shoulders dropped and he held his head in his hand. His eyes were moving quickly. She was suddenly struck with the realization that he didn't know what to do.

She wanted to scoff, wanted to laugh, but didn't want to disturb her boy.

So, even the Q were lost when it comes to children.

She rolled her eyes as she realized how pitiful he looked. It could all be a ruse, everything leading up to this could be one giant prank that father and son were playing.

But it felt like some very real tears were hitting her neck and Q certainly looked the part of an upset father. His hand clenching and unclenching.

"Q" she called out in her mind, hoping he'd left whatever link this was open.

His eyes met hers and she patted the couch seat behind her. He stumbled forward at first but by the end he had his typical confident stride.

He sat softly to not disturb Junior, and together he and Kathryn discussed what Junior had stated this far.


End file.
